Dưa món chay (Tết pickled vegetables)

Step 1: Toss 14 oz green papaya, 14 oz daikon (white radish) and 2 carrots with 2 tbsp salt and leave for 1 hour, until they have softened and sit in a pool of water.

Step 2: Rinse well and squeeze hard by the handful to get rid of as much liquid as possible.

Step 3: Spread the strips on racks and dry them in strong sun for 1–2 days, or in the oven at 158°F with the door slightly open for 3–4 hours, turning now and then, until shrunk, leathery and bendy but not brittle.

Step 4: Put ¾ cup tamari, 5 ½ oz sugar, ¼ cup rice vinegar and 150 ml of water in a saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let the brine cool completely.

Step 5: Pack the dried vegetables, 1 oz fresh ginger and 3 red chillies into a clean jar and pour over the cold brine to cover, pressing the vegetables down.

Step 6: Close and leave at room temperature for 3 days, shaking daily, until the strips are amber, crunchy and sweet-salty. Keep in the fridge for up to a month.